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Rating: Since the very beginning, the band's name was linked to an elegant and sophisticated musical genre thanks to the sinuous melodies accompanied by the wonderful voice of Sade Adu, a true icon of beauty and charisma in the '80s.
Love Deluxe is an album born during a difficult period for Stuart Matthewman & Co., because after a long streak of successes that brought them fame and fortune, they faced their real test of maturity: being able to confirm their worldwide leadership in soul/smooth jazz music with marked R&B influences. Diamond Life, Promise, and Stronger Than Pride, released respectively in 1984, 1985, and 1988, were a heavy legacy to carry, and after four years, in 1992, it wasn’t taken for granted that they would release an album that achieved public acclaim and contained noteworthy songs: an objective reached, but not entirely.
The album opens with No Ordinary Love, a classic Sade song which, though built on a well-crafted melody, I find borders on the cloying; 7’20” based on the same steady bass/drum rhythm is, in my opinion, a bit too much. The real highlight of the album comes from the trio I Couldn’t Love You More, Like A Tattoo, and Kiss Of Life, where we rediscover the best Sade of the '80s, with haunting and rarefied melodies; three songs that truly express the band’s compositional maturity. The record continues with decent but unconvincing fillers compared to the rest of the album. The closing is entrusted to the instrumental Mermaid, seasoned with ethnic touches, but the absence of Sade’s voice is clearly felt.
Of course, one cannot help but reflect: the '80s branch of this genre was left orphaned by all the bands—Style Council, Matt Bianco, Everything But The Girl, Simply Red, etc.—where have they all gone?
All in all, a beautiful record with some very high moments and some less, sung by a performer who, back then, somehow made us fall in love.
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